News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

DIVINE FITS


BIO:
For starters, the "supergroup" concept is usually a very bad idea. Arcadia, Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve, the Miami Heat*, Junkyard. Sure, they all look great on paper, but the results are usually disappointing. So with that history firmly in mind, I'll admit I was intrigued when the good folks at Nasty Little Man offered me $30 for my thoughts concerning Divine Fits, a trio comprising Spoon's Britt Daniel, Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner and Sam Brown of Columbus, OH's New Bomb Turks. The Turks I'm familiar with, the other two fellas, much less so (though I'm told they've earned a fair bit of praise in secular music circles.) As such, it's hard for me to offer an informed opinion on how much their debut album, 'A Thing Called Divine Fits' does or doesn't resemble their prior projects, but I hope we can agree that would be a flimsy excuse for musical analysis. Great artists aren't content with staying in one place. Would Phillip Seymour Hoffman routinely play brooding, lumpy characters with questionable social skills? Would some percentage of those parts be offered to Paul Giamatti if Hoffman was unavailable and/or the timing wasn't right? Seriously, how incredibly cynical would it be to interrogate a collection of 11 songs rather than simply listen to it? OF COURSE there are echoes of what these guys have done before. But I'm here to praise the trio and producer Nick Launay, not bury them (though you'd have to admit, that would be a rather unique approach for a press release); 'A Thing Called Divine Fits' crackles with the sort of daring and electricity few of their contemporaries can muster. There's tremendous songcraft to spare (the Joe Meek-on-PEDs "Would That Not Be Nice" is so good, had that been the first MP3, Nasty Little Man wouldn't have needed to resort to Kickstarter to raise my $30), but there's also a keen confidence shining through that you'd usually mistake for a totally new band. Which, I suppose, is exactly what these guys are. And if we're really lucky, they'll make this a regular thing.

Latest Articles


Pickathon Presents 'A Concert A Day' Photo Pickathon Presents 'A Concert A Day'
by Kaitlin Milligan - April 07, 2020

As we fight COVID-19 together, the power of music to bring hope, foster community, and encourage mental health is more resonant than ever. With this in mind, Pickathon is excited to present A Concert A Day starting April 8, an initiative to help musicians and artist communities through the Recording...

Operators Release New Album RADIANT DAWN Out Today via Last Gang Records Photo Operators Release New Album RADIANT DAWN Out Today via Last Gang Records
by Tori Hartshorn - May 17, 2019

Synth-pop trio Operators' new album, Radiant Dawn, is out today on Last Gang Records. The band, featuring Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits), Devojka, and Sam Brown (Divine Fits, New Bomb Turks), previously shared the first single “Faithless” and the video for album track “I Feel...

Operators Announce Release Date For New Album 'Radiant Dawn' Photo Operators Announce Release Date For New Album 'Radiant Dawn'
by Kaitlin Milligan - May 03, 2019

Operators, the synth-pop band have shared another new track, “I Feel Emotion”, off their forthcoming sophomore LP Radiant Dawn, out May 17th on Last Gang. The band, featuring Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits), Devojka, and Sam Brown (Divine Fits, New Bomb Turks), teamed up with ...

Operators Announce Release Date For New Album Photo Operators Announce Release Date For New Album
by Kaitlin Milligan - April 19, 2019

Operators, the synth-pop band featuring Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits), Devojka, and Sam Brown (Divine Fits, New Bomb Turks), have announced that their newest album, Radiant Dawn, will be out this May 17th on Last Gang Records. They recently shared the first single, “Faithles...

Operators Announce New Album 'Radiant Dawn' Photo Operators Announce New Album 'Radiant Dawn'
by Kaitlin Milligan - April 05, 2019

Operators have shared their first new song since 2016, entitled “Faithless”. Featuring Dan Boeckner's distinct vocals and knack for writing memorable choruses, driven forward with a pulsing energy by keyboardist Devojka and drummer Sam Brown's relentless beats....

Operators Announce 2019 Tour Photo Operators Announce 2019 Tour
by Tori Hartshorn - March 19, 2019

Operators have announced an extensive North American summer tour, kicking off May 28th at Chicago's Lincoln Hall and hitting venues across the US through July. You'll be able to catch their electric live set when they headline LA's Teragram Ballroom, NYC's Bowery Ballroom and more. Tickets go on sal...

Dan Boeckner and Operators Present Handsome Furs Music in NYC and Toronto Photo Dan Boeckner and Operators Present Handsome Furs Music in NYC and Toronto
by Tori Hartshorn - September 18, 2018

Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Divine Fits) and his band Operators are bringing back the music of the prolific musician's former duo Handsome Furs. They will be playing music from Handsome Furs' catalogue for the first time in six years at NYC's Baby's All Right on December 13th and December 15th at Tor...












Videos

Recommended For You